Amateur wrestlers are subjected to maneuvers and contact with opponents and the wrestling mat which can result in injuries to the outer ear surfaces. Such injuries can be the result of unintentional blows to the ear by opponents, abrasion by sliding contact with the mat, i.e., mat burn, and unintentional head contact between opponents, i.e., head butts. As a means of protecting against such injuries, ear protective devices are in wide-spread use and generally provide a pair of reinforced cup shaped protectors designed to cover the ears and connected by a plurality of generally adjustable straps to form a complete headgear wearable by wrestlers during a match.
Reinforced protectors are allowed in high school, college and amateur wrestling leagues in the United States and are well known. Such reinforced ear protectors include those described in the present inventor's prior patents, U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,945 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,516 as well as those ear protectors exemplified by Marchello, U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,288 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,354, Dubner, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,985, Keen, U.S. Pat. No. 2,898,596, Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 537,686, Roberts, U.S. Pat. No. 2,277,994 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,818, Helm, U.S. Pat. No. 3,311,921, Pukish, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,327,317, and Holden U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,482. However, these protectors are not readily changed or disassembled to facilitate repair or changes in outward appearance to, for example, match uniform colors. In addition some of the prior art ear protectors having rigid shells can themselves cause injury when the shells project through any surrounding padding or other covering.
Accordingly, there is a need in for an ear protector that meets the requirements for protection and safety of wrestlers without rigid shells. It would also be useful if such an ear protector were easily assemblable and disassemblable so as to facilitate changing parts for repair or reconfiguration of the device.
The present invention addresses these needs in an ear protector that meets the international requirement of non-rigidity, while providing sufficient protection, that is fully adjustable to accommodate different sized wrestlers, and that is easily assembled or disassembled to facilitate changing pieces that become worn or broken through use or to change the outward appearance of the ear protector.